Fredonia Chamber Choir ready to sing at ACDA eastern conference

The rare distinction of being chosen to perform at an American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Conference has been bestowed upon the Chamber Choir at SUNY Fredonia.

Only 17 choirs drawn from nine Northeastern states were selected to participate in the ACDA’s 2022 conference to be held Feb. 9 to 12 in Boston. Only one other choir from New York State, the Treble Choir from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College CUNY, was chosen.

“This is a tremendous honor not only for the Chamber Choir, but for our incredible Voice program, as well as the entire School of Music," remarked Dr. Vernon Huff, who serves as director of Choral Activities and conductor of the Chamber Choir.

“Having a choir perform at an American Choral Directors Association convention really brings the program into an elite status. The standards are very high and the competition is tough,” Dr. Huff noted. “Only four collegiate choirs were selected to perform at the Eastern Division's conference this year, so we are very humbled by that.”

“Having a choir perform at an American Choral Directors Association convention really brings the program into an elite status. The standards are very high and the competition is tough.” - Dr. Vernon Huff

The Fredonia choir will be the third of three choirs to give two concerts, at 3 and 5 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 11, at the Old South Church, built during the Gilded Age and considered one of America’s finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

A rigorous audition process was used to select choirs for the conference, with Fredonia representing the very best of choral programs in the northern United States, from Maryland to Maine, Huff said. He picked three selections that he felt best represented the Chamber Choir.

The conference committee this year was interested in showcasing living and minority composers, Huff indicated, so he pulled together a program that was challenging and also reflected the diversity of choral music that’s currently available.

“That is tough, because there is so much great choral music being arranged and composed right now,” Huff remarked. Submitted programs had to be 25 minutes in length while allowing for any applause or stage changes. 

The Chamber Choir is typically composed of 24 singers, split evenly between sopranos/altos and tenors/basses. Its roster is chosen following auditions held during the first week of classes, Huff noted, “and then, it's off to the races. Everything we do between August and February will be focused on the convention performance. But I know that our wonderful students will step up and meet the challenge,” he said. “They always do!”

Reaction to the choir’s selection from current students and alumni has been universally positive, Huff noted, when the School of Music posted the announcement.

“I am thrilled for the Chamber Choir to represent our amazing Voice area at the convention. There are truly wonderful things happening in our choral/opera/voice programs and it will be a thrill to show our neighbors from around the eastern division,” Huff said.

Fredonia is also connected to the Queens College’s choir, whose director, Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education Eric Rubinstein, earned a Mus.B. in Music Education at Fredonia in 2008.

Dr. Rubinstein indicated he’s proud to be a graduate of the Fredonia School of Music, saying that he owes much of his professional success to the experiences he received during his undergraduate study. “Not only does Fredonia offer a high-quality music education, but a safe space to try new things, and a network of support by colleagues and faculty alike. I felt truly cared for at Fredonia,” Rubinstein said.

Rubinstein went on to earn a M.M. and D.M.A., both in Choral Conducting, from Michigan State University and Louisiana State University, respectively.

“It is because of my training from Fredonia that I am a creative, flexible and compassionate educator,” Rubinstein said. “My love for choral music and music education is inspired by my work with Dan Ihasz, Laura Dornberger and the late Gerald Gray, and I continue to see their guidance reflected in my own teaching,” he said.

School of Music Interim Director Daniel Ihasz remembers Rubinstein being deeply involved in choir, dance and opera at Fredonia, and he also earned a minor in Dance. Rubinstein was also one of Mr. Ihasz’ students in the New York State Summer School of the Arts choral program before enrolling at Fredonia for his undergraduate degree.

The last time a Fredonia choir was invited to perform at an ACDA convention, also held in Boston, was in 1986, when Dr. Donald P. Lang was its director.